Upslope kicks into high gear

Upslope is trying to get their beer to the people with a just-announced list of upcoming spring and summer events. Boulder teetotalers will be tempted with a music festival, beer and food truck pairings, the chance to make earrings out of cans and tutorials on bike mechanics.

Upslope’s “ladies night” on April 29 will get creative brews flowing with a workshop on making earrings out of Upslope beer cans, a creative process which will of course be fueled with the lady’s choice of two Upslope brews and a taster. Whether you consider making earrings out of your favorite beer cans supportive, innovative or a little redneck, to it’s bound to be fun. Attendees can also look forward to a private tour of the brewery.

Then, on May 17, Upslope will be trying to make their mark on the music festival season with Upslope Get Down. The music festival will run from 2 p.m. to midnight with performances from eight different bands, including Fox Street, The Movement, Gipsy Moon, Good Gravy, Rocktin Grove, Hot Soup and Rowdy Shadehouse, performing on two stages.

VIP tickets are $65, which will include access to a private tented area, all-you-can-drink brews, and access to exclusive rare beers.

Upslope has also announced the lineup for a Food Truck Beer Dinner Series, which will pair beer with a fourcourse meal crafted by a local food truck. Expect Heirloom Food Truck on June 10, followed by Comida on Aug. 27, and Blackbelly on Oct. 15.

Cheating on beer never sounded so good

Bad Idea Central was narrowly averted this week when powdered alcohol was first approved, and then unapproved by U.S. regulatory agencies.

Palcohol, developed by the privately held company Lipsmark, becomes an alcoholic beverage with the addition of five ounces of water. Or as the company suggests, it can even be sprinkled on food to give it that extra something. Not suggested by the company — but probably suggested by Mötley Crüe — was snorting it like a Pixie Stick.

Lipsmark planned to market the products toward concertgoers to combat high drink prices at concerts, and promoted the ease of transporting the product for outdoor activities and traveling. But the government backed out a day after the news hit the net.

Lipsmark released a statement that their labels were the reason for the renege because the labels indicated the wrong amount specifications for the powder within the package. Look out world, Lipsmark is now hoping to get their product in liquor stores by fall.

Sanitas makes bitter beer stand

Sanitas Brewing unveiled the new Déluge, the first installment in their collection of wild and sour barrel-aged beers to the public on April 19. The brewery’s blog says the new beer is named after the French word for “downpour” as a tribute to those affected by the floods that plagued Colorado in September because that was the same time the beer was placed in recently emptied oak red wine barrels for fermentation.

The Déluge is described by the brewery as a hazy-gold, aromatic saison with layers of tart pineapple, lemon, oak and funk. The Déluge offers a dry, refreshing finish and has a 6.8 percent alcohol content. The time to try this unique beer is limited because of demand and small batch size.